Maddow slips in ratings but not in her resolve

April 23, 2009|By Yvonne Villarreal Tribune Newspapers

The first 100 days of a new presidential administration are known as the honeymoon because it marks a time of friendly relations between the new chief executive and the media. But for MSNBC's "The Rachel Maddow Show," the early days of the Obama administration have meant an unwelcome drop in ratings.

As the heat surrounding the historic campaign and election of President Barack Obama faded, Maddow, along with most of the other cable shows that traffic in political talk and chatter, saw a noticeable erosion in their audience. March was the lowest-rated month so far for the show, with her numbers falling from an average high of 1.9 million viewers to just slightly more than 1.1 million.

The road to regain viewers would seem an especially challenging one for Maddow. Politics, not to mention television, thrive on conflict, but how much of that will there be with a left-leaning host in a time of a left-leaning president?

"My job of asking questions and being critical doesn't stop, depending on who is in the White House," said the 35-year-old host. "My main concern is keeping the quality of the show high. We don't debate the ratings very much."

Such concerns are a long way off from September, when Maddow's show more than doubled the network's viewership in her time slot. Audiences, and many critics, responded to the show's mix of political analysis, offbeat news and Maddow's stinging wit.

"I think Rachel is a rock star," said Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC, where the show airs weekdays at 9 p.m. Eastern. "We've never had success anywhere near that in our 12-year history at 9 p.m. right out of the gate. From Day One, she established herself."

And even though Maddow's ratings slipped last month, she still beat out CNN's "Larry King Live," a consistent cable news heavyweight, among the 25- to 54-year-old demographic. But she's still a good distance from Fox News' "Hannity's America," which continues to dominate the time slot.

The shift in her ratings fortune hasn't changed her attitude toward the show, said Maddow. And, despite her political similarities with the new president, there is a president to hold to account. She's already gone after Obama on issues such as wiretapping and torture.

"She has not at all been afraid to be critical of Obama when she disagrees with him," said Martin Kaplan, director of the Norman Lear Center at the USC Annenberg School for Communications. "It's a place for people to tune in and hear intelligent conversation about differences of opinion."

A former AIDS activist and Rhodes scholar, Maddow's journey to becoming MSNBC's ratings darling began on a whim, when she auditioned for a job as a morning radio sidekick in Massachusetts. By 2004, she had made it onto Air America, a liberal talk radio network.

The platform brought her to the attention of cable news producer. She eventually became a frequent substitute host for "Countdown with Keith Olbermann"-a stint that would lead to a show touting her own name in the title.

Seven months since the show's launch, Maddow said she has yet to "find her groove" in television hosting. But her bosses are confident she'll find it.

"She's still in infancy of knowing this medium," Griffin said. "The show will evolve as she continues ... but, honestly, I can't believe where we are right now. I can only imagine where we'll be a year from now."

Maddow's focus remains on the viewers.

"At the end of the day, I want the explanation and humor to stick with viewers so they can remember the stories the next time they're at a dinner party and they can repeat it and impress their friends," she said. "That's success."